Archivio mensile:dicembre 2013

Cure Girl activity results in the decision of the regional administration of Lombardy in Italy to support Chronic spinal cord injury research in 2014

The regional administration of Lombardy on Dec. 20th 2013 has approved the health plan for 2014 as proposed by the members of the administrations Dr. Mario Mantovani and Dr. Maria Cristina Cantù.

On page 115 of Annex 3 under “Special Programs ” it has been specified that the intention of the administration is to allocate money to research for chronic spinal cord injury .

The Council’s decision was supported by the President of the Commission III Health and Social Welfare Dr. Fabio Rizzi, who had received and evaluated a proposal signed by Ms. Loredana Longo (Cure Girl) and Mr. Paolo Cipolla. The proposal detailed the situation of people living with chronic spinal cord injury and requested financial investment in research to find a CURE for this condition in line with the Council of Europe Recommendation n° 1560/2002.

“This is just the first step” said Dr. Rizzi. “Now we have to identify specific projects.”

On behalf of people living with spinal cord injury that every day fight for a cure Ms. Longo and Mr. Cipolla want to thank the regional administration of Lombardy, Dr. Mario Mantovani, Dr. Maria Cristina Cantù, Dr. Fabio Rizzi and his staff who have all shown to be extremely passionate and visionary to find a solution for this problem.

In Italy the Ministry of Health estimates the number of people living with paralysis caused by spinal cord injury is 80,000 with about 1.200-1.500 new cases per year. About 80% are between 10 and 40 years old. In the Lombardy region alone it is estimated that there are about 14,000 people living with spinal cord injury with an annual increase of approximately 250 new cases. This terrible condition is not only highly disabling for spinal cord injured people, but it also has a tremendous social and economic impact . In fact life expectancy for people with spinal cord injury is considerably reduced, especially for quadriplegics and also involves extremely high social costs.

I’m confident that this commitment of the Regional administration to support research will help to find effective therapies for the treatment of paralysis caused by chronic spinal cord injury.

A year has passed and we all tried, each with their own ability to find new ways to support research for a cure for chronic spinal cord injury.

We have organised events, did a skydive, took part in marathons, got friends and family also to take part in marathons/challenges for us. We also done photo shoots to launch a campaign highlighting the aspects that characterise people in wheelchairs living with paralysis.

Us Cure Girls have also edited, translated, shared, documented, visited research laboratories, raised funds and Skype call each other regularly for conference calls brainstorming and discussing future possibilities/campaigns.

PHEW!!! We did everything we possibly could to get our cure message out there.

Unfortunately our condition is the same but WE WILL NEVER GIVE UP, we will continue to fight until CHRONIC SPINAL CORD INJURY becomes curable. We do hope that we can count on a growing number of people who will support our mission.

A VERY BIG THANKS to all of you who have supported us, followed us and been by our side. We couldn’t do this without your love and support. Wishing you all much peace, joy and happiness and hope that the new year will bring us a CURE for chronic spinal cord injury.

Some days you wake up and think that you are not able to go on in this way. You would like “to get up” but your legs cannot move and they remind you that alone you cannot do it.

In those days it is very difficult to find the persistence to say: “I will never give up, I go on to fight!”.

Despite everything and everybody, you try to be strong (because to be strong is the only choice you have) and try to find a way to avoid the fact that other people have to suffer like you because of spinal cord injury and in your heart you hope that from your efforts, your anger and your pain, something good can be found, for everybody, including yourself.

Ride for Life is for me an example of it.

Ride for Life is a charity sporting event organized by Riders4Riders Onlus e Marina Romoli Onlus associations and it has been created to help young bikers/cyclists that suffer a SCI and to actively support medical research for a cure of chronic spinal cord injury.
Also this year the Italian Cure Girls, have actively participated in the event that was held on last November 16th and 17th by the South Milano Track in Ottobiano.
Thanks to all bikers/cyclists champions and to all the people that participated to the event, they have been able to raise € 30.000 for spinal cord injury cure. Money raised during the previous editions, have been addressed, thanks to a collaboration with Wings for Life, to the project of prof. Gregoire Courtine by EPFL (Ecole Polytechnique Fedérale de Lausanne) in Switzerland, a project focused on finding ways to restore sensory and motor functions that have been interrupted due to a spinal cord injury.

In the coming months, the Wings for Life Scientific Committee will be announcing a new competition for 2014 in which researchers can participate with their projects. Next spring the Scientific Committee will be deciding the list of the most deserving projects. The organizers of Ride for Life will choose to assign the amount collected with the 2013 edition. “It takes time – Marina Romoli Onlus and Riders4Riders Onlus representatives explained – but we want to assign the collected amount to a serious project that can produce concrete results; so in addition to the challenge of fundraising we also have to be meticulous in choosing the projects to be funded. In May we’re visiting the laboratories of Professor Courtine to see how the work is progressing and decide whether to continue to invest in the project we chose last year”.

We Cure Girls have met many champions of international motorcycling and cycling, politicians, journalists, young men and women in wheelchairs and lot of ordinary people who were there to support us in our fight for CURE.

The Italian media has given extensive coverage to Ride for Life; there were many articles and reports which have highlighted the aim of Ride for Life and in this way our message has reached the heart of people who unfortunately could not participate in the event. The next edition of Ride for Life will be in November 16, 2014 at the Circuito Internazionale South Milano in Ottobiano.

The Cure Girls would like to thank all those who, even with a little help, have contributed to the excellent success of Ride for Life 2013, but especially those who believe, hope and struggle with us to make sure that one day chronic spinal cord injury become curable!